Welting instrumentality for knitting machines and method of use



April 3, 1951 2,547,898

' E. M. ZESCH WELTING INSTRUMENTALITY FOR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHODOF USE Filed Jan. 14, 1949 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE I VQOR: Eugene 1U.Zesch, BY W W A TTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951 E. M. ZESCH WELTING INSTRUMENTALITY FOR KNITTING MACHINESAND METHOD OF rus1:

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1949 ,Wm M

ATTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951. sc

' WELTIN' 'NSTRUMENTALITY FOR KNITTING MA INES AND METHOD OF USE 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 14, 1949 ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR: Euyene ZYLZesch,

I INVENTOR: 025w Eugene M Zesch,

043x25 BY Aprll 3, 1951 E. M. ZESCH 2,547,898

WELTING INSTRUMENTALITY KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD USE Filed Jan. 14,1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WITNESSES A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 WELTING IN STRUMENTALITY FOR KNIT- TING MACHINESAND METHOD OF USE Eugene M. Zesch, Shillington, Pa., assignor to KarlLieberknecht, Inc., Reading, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication January 14, 1949-, Serial N o.'70,914

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to instrumentalities useful in connection withstraight knitting machines of the Cotton type ordinarily employed in thecommercial production of fashioned hosiery and the like, in closed weltforming operations. It is also concerned with an improved method of loopmanipulation incident to operations of the kind referred to.

In the automatic performance of welt turning operations on straightstocking knitting machines, alternate loops of a starting course on theneedles of .the machine are engaged by hooked instrumentalities anchoredin a bar, which, during the formation of a definite length of weltfabric, is moved outward of the machine to draw oil the web as it isbeing knitted, and which is later moved reversely to fold over thefabric and to bring its hooked instrumentalities into registry with theneedles for restoration to them of the loops of the aforesaid startingcourse, whereupon the knitting is resumed for completion of the stockingblanks. With welting instrumentalities as heretofore constructed, it wasnecessary to pass the hooks thereof bodily through the alternate loopsof the initial or starting courses, for

example as shown in Fig. 22 of U. S. Patent #2,269,463 granted to KarlR. Lieberknecht on January 13, 1942. These loops were thus undulyenlarged with resultant formation, upon subsequent closing of the welts,of sleezy seam junctures which detracted from the otherwise pleasingappearance of the stockings.

My invention is directed in the main toward overcoming the abovedrawback, which I have made possible of realization in practice, ashereinafter more fully disclosed, through provision of improved weltinginstrumentalities characterized by having rearwardly offset elongatehoe-ks with the hook fronts substantially in aligned relation to saidshanks; and through the further provision of a novel method of actuatingsaid instrumentalities in such a way as to avoid the necessity forpassing their hooks bodily through the loops of the starting courses atthe initiation of the knitting.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a viewdrawn to an enlarged scale showing the elevation of one side ofanimproved welting instrumentality conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows the elevation of the opposite side of the instrumentality.v

Fig. 3 shows the rear elevation of the instrumentality.

Figs. 4-6 are detail sectional views taken as indicated respectively bythe angled arrows IV-IV, VV, and VI-VI in Fig. 1.

Figs. 7-17 are fragmentary views in cross section of a straight knittingmachine showing successive steps in the starting and closing of weltfabric with the aid of my improved loop transfering instrumentalities.

Figs. 18-22 are fragmentary detail views looking as indicatedrespectively by the arrows XVIII-XVIII, XIX-XIX, XX-XX, XXIXXI andXXIIXXII in Figs. 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12.

With reference first more particularly to Figs. 1-3 of theseillustrations, it will be noted that as there shown, my improved looptransferring instrumentality generally designated by the nu meral 25,has a shank with upper and lower portions or segments 26, 21 disposed inrelatively wide obtuse angular relation. The upper portion 26 is roundin cross section as will be seen in Fig. 4, and its distal end is bentlaterally as at 28 for anchorage purposes in a supporting bar. The lowershank portion 27, on the other hand, has flat sides 29, see Fig. 5, isbeveled at the rear as at 3|], and is provided centrally of its frontwith a round-bottomed longitudinal V groove 3! capable of receiving thespring beard of a knitting needle as later on explained. Formed as anintegral continuation of the lower shank portion 21, is a rearwardlyoffset straight verticallyelongate hook 32 with a narrow lateral yarnentrant throat 33 at the front between the region of mergence of thehook back 34 with said lower shank portion and the tip of the hook front35, said throat being inclined inwardly and downwardly toward the hookinterior. The hook back 34 is beveled as at 36 in continuation of thebevel 30 of the lower shank portion 27, and its inner surface is roundedas at 3'! as best seen in Fig. 6. The hook front 35 is substantially inline with the shank portion 21, being very slightly inclined toward thehook bight 38. The hook front 35 is moreover rounded at the inside as at39 in Figs. 2 and 6 and, like the shank portion, provided centrally ofits outer face with a longitudinal needle beard receiving V groove 40which has a square bottom as best seen in Fig. 6. The bottom or bightend of the hook 34 is beveled to a relatively sharp edge as indicated at4 l.

The straight knitting machine partly shown in Figs. 7-17 to illustratehow the instrumentalities 25 are utilized in welting operations, has theusual series of spring beard needles N, sliding sinkers and dividers Sand D and knockovers K, the beards of the latter being closed in normalstitch formation, as ordinarily, by contact with a fixed presser edge Eon the stationary sinker head H. The mechanism for actuating theneedles, sinkers, dividers, and knockovers may be of any suitable wellknown construction and, for this reason, has been omitted from thedrawings. As shown, the instrumentalities 25 are anchored in thesupporting bar 42, and it is to be understood that they are spaced forcapacity to cooperate with alternate needles N of the series N.

Operation In Fig. 7, the yarn 'g has just been laid for the startingcourse of the knitting and kinked as in Fig. 18 by the sinkers S aroundthe shanks of neighboring pairs of needles while the needles are infully raised position. The bar 42 is being moved downward as indicatedby the arrow, to carry the instrumentalities 25 toward the fronts of theneedles as the dividers D start outward for final division of the yarnbetween the needles as in Fig. 19.

Fig. 8 shows the instrumentalities 25 moving down with the backs oftheir hooks 32 bearing against the presser edge E, and with theirthroats 3; at the yarn feeding level, the needles having moved inward sothat the beards of the alternate ones N are engaged in the grooves inthe lower shank portions 21 and thereby held closed. It is to beunderstood that the free intermediate needles are not moved into contactwith the presser edge for closure of their beards at this stage, andhence retain their loops. As the needles continue downward from theposition of Fig. 8 to the knockover level as in Figs. 9 and 20, 1

the loops Z previously held by the alternate needles N are engagedwithin the hooks 32 of the instrumentalities 25 as the sinkers anddividers recede. Bar 42 is thereafter moved outward as in Fig. to carrythe instrumentalities over the tops of the needles N while the latterare still depressed, whereby the loops Z are slid off the noses of thesinkers and dividers and drawn into the bottoms of the hooks 32. Thus,in accordance with my invention, the entire hook portions of theinstrumentalities 25 are not passed through the loops Z of the startingcourse as was necessary in the patent hereinbefore referred to, withconsequent avoidance of the dilation of these loops and ultimateformation of a sleezy and unsightly welt closures.

In Fig. 11 the sinkers and dividers have been projected over all of thefabric loops to restrain them as the needles are elevated to receive newyarn y. The plan of the loop formation in the first course being at thisstage as shown in Fig. 21.

In Fig. 12, the second course has been formed from the newly laid yarnin the normal manner and the loops Z thereof drawn by the needlesthrough the loops 2 of the first course, the plan of loop formationbeing then as shown in Fig. 22. The knitting thereupon proceeds for atime until the desired length of welt fabric F has been produced as inFig. 13. During this phase of the knitting the welt fabric iscontinually drawn off by gradual outward movement of the welt bar G2 inthe usual manner.

After placement of a welt rod R as in Fig. 13, the bar 42 is movedinward of the machine as the needles descend, and eventually downward asin Fig. 15 to bring the instrumentalities between the alternate needlesN and the presser edge E. During the topping-0n stage which isillustrated in Fig. 15, alternate needles N move up through the loops 1of the starting course still retained by the instrumentalities 25, whilethe last formed loops Z are retained by said needles whereof the beardsare held closed by contact with the hook fronts of saidinstrumentalities.

As the bar 42 continues downward to bring the throats of theinstrumentalities to the knockover level, the sinkers and dividers areadvanced over the now doubled over welt fabric F as in Fig. 16. Duringthe dwell of the bar 42 in its lowermost position as the needlescontinue to rise and concurrently recede outward, the loops 1 are drawnlaterally out of the throats of the instrumentalities for retainment byalternate needles N as also shown in Fig. 16.

Finally, the bar 42 is elevated for withdrawal of its instrumentalities25 from the field of knitting as in Fig. 17 until their use is againrequired. With the welt now finished and closed, the machine continuesin its operation until the stocking is completed as ordinarily.

Due to the grooving of the shanks of the instrumentalities 25 as well asof their hook fronts, it will be seen that a more positive hooking ofthe alternate fabric loops N is assured as the latter are pressed offsaid needles. This permits the use of a shorter starting course for theultimate formation of a firmer seam when said course is transferred backto the needles. It is moreover advantageous in that it precludes thepossibility of damage to the needle beards during the hooking upoperation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A welting instrumentality for use with needles of a knitting machinein the manner described, having a shank; a rearwardly-oifset elongatehook at one end of the shank with its back parallel to the adjacentportion of the shank; and a relatively narrow yarn entrant throatbetween the tip of the hook and the region of mergence of the shank withthe hook back.

2. A welting instrumentality according to claim 1, wherein the hookfront is substantially in line with the shank; and wherein the throat isinclined inwardly and downwardly toward the interior of the hook.

3. A welting instrumentality according to claim 1, wherein the shank andthe hook back are beveled at the rear; and wherein the hook front, backand bottom are rounded on the inside.

4. A welting instrumentality for use with spring beard needles of aknitting machine in the manner described having a shank with alongitudinal needle beard receiving groove at the front; arearwardly-offset elongate hook at one end of the shank; a relativelynarrow entrant throat for yarn between the tip of the hook front and theregion of mergence of the hook back with the shank, said hook frontbeing substantially in line with the shank and likewise provided with alongitudinal needle beard receiving groove substantially in alignmentwith the groove in said shank.

5. A welting instrumentality according to claim 4, in which the throatis inclined inwardly and downwardly toward the interior of the hook.

6. A welting instrumentality according to claim 4, wherein the shank andthe hook back are beveled at the rear, and wherein the hook front, backand bottom are rounded at the inside.

7. The method of starting fabric for a welt in a straight knittingmachine having a series of spring beard needles, sinkers and knockovers,a presser edge and loop engagng instrumentalities to cooperate withalternate needles each having a shank with a rearwardly offset elongateterminal hook whereof the back is parallel to the adjacent portion ofthe shank, and a narrow lateral yarn entrant throat between the tip ofthe hook and the region of mergence of the shank with the hook back,said method comprising the steps of kinking yarn by the sinkers aboutthe shanks of elevated needles; moving the instrumentalities en masse tothe fronts of the needles with the backs of their hooks bearing againstthe presser edge and with their throats at the yarn feeding level; thenmoving the needles inward for closure of the beards of a1- ternateneedles by engagement with the shanks of the hook instrumentalitieswhile above the yarn feeding level, and concurrently moving the needlesdownward incident to retraction of the sinkers for lateral displacementof the loop kinks over the tips of the hook fronts and into the hooks ofthe instrumentalities; then moving the instrumentalities outward overthe needles after the latter have descended to the knockover level; andthen, after elevation of the needles, causing new yarn to be kinkedabout the needle shanks by the sinkers in preparation for the drawing ofthe next course of fabric loops.

8. The method of forming a closed welt after the steps recited in claim7, by continuing outward movement of the instrumentalities for a timefor the production of a sufficient length of welt fabric by normalknitting; then moving the instrumentalities inward en masse to againbring the backs of their hooks into contact with the presser edge as thesinkers are advanced over the fabric and as the needles rise from theknockover level with the beards of alternate needles pressing againstand closed by engagement with the hook fronts, so that the loops of thelast course knitted are retained while said needles pass up through theloops of the first knitted course in the hooks to eventually remove thelast mentioned loops out through the throats of the instrumentalities;and finally, as the needles are moved outwardly incident to completingtheir rise to take new yarn, withdrawing the now empty instrumentalitiesfrom the region of stitch formation.

EUGENE M. ZESCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number v i Name Date 2,269,463 Lieberknecht Jan.13, 1942 2,326,964 Nebel Aug. 17, 1943 2,379,527 Howie et a1. July 3,1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 509,962 Germany Oct. 15, 1930

